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Edmonton kicks into gear in 2014 for U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup

Edmonton is excited to be named one of the four Canadian cities selected to host matches during the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The other cities are Montreal, Toronto and Moncton.

“This will be a terrific build up to our hosting of 11 matches, including the opening ceremony and bronze medal game, for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015,” says Mayor Stephen Mandel. “Excitement is already building in our community for this event and this announcement adds to that. We look forward to welcoming teams, fans and visitors from around the globe to Edmonton.”

Matches for the U-20 tournament will be held August 5 to 24, 2014. A schedule for the tournament has yet to be released. Canada is the first country to host the tournament twice and Edmonton has played a critical role in both events, hosting the final match in 2002.

It was also announced that Edmonton will host a match between Canada’s Women’s National Team and Korea Republic on October 30, 2013. The game will be held at Commonwealth Stadium and will be a precursor to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015. Details about ticket sales will be forthcoming.

Edmonton will host 11 matches during the 2015 World Cup. Besides the opening and bronze medal game the city will also host both a semi-final and quarter final and seven other matches, two of the games will feature Canada’s bronze medal winning team from the2012 Olympics.

Edmonton’s strong interest in, and support for, women’s soccer was ignited in 2002 when the city hosted matches during the the U-19s FIFA Women’s World Championships, including the final game that was witnessed by almost 48,000 fans.

“Edmontonians interest in soccer has grown substantially since 2002 when Christine Sinclair led Canada’s team to the final of the U-19 competition,” says Richard Adams, Executive Director for Alberta Soccer. “This is a new opportunity for us to see the next generation of soccer players that represent the future of our sport internationally and I am confident Edmonton will do an outstanding job in both 2014 and 2015.”

The hosting of international events is an important aspect of the Edmonton Events strategy, a plan developed to attract and host events as part of a strategy to advance the city’s reputation globally. The Events Strategy is tied to the Council-approved, The Way We Prosper, the City’s economic blueprint for the future that includes building a confident and progressive image globally and diversifying the economy. Edmonton Events is a partnership between the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Economic Development Corporation designed to attract events to the city.